A new report sheds light on how the Clippers front office feels as the NBA investigation drags on.
The Los Angeles Clippers agreed to send Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors on June 30, and more than two weeks later the deal still is not official.
The league is investigating whether the team went around the salary cap through Leonard's $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration, and both franchises chose to wait on the trade until the findings come out.
Adam Silver told reporters in Las Vegas this week that he still expects the investigation to finish this summer.
Speaking on ESPN's NBA Today, Marc J. Spears described the mood inside the building while everyone waits.
How the Front Office Is Handling the Wait
"I think the assumption is that the Clippers are fearful of what is to come, but I am hearing that they want to get this done, that they feel like Steve Ballmer was a victim, that he is going to be innocent," Spears said.
The fear is understandable given how long this has dragged on.
The investigation started back in September 2025 when Pablo Torre first reported the allegations, and an outside law firm has spent ten months interviewing staff and collecting documents.
Ballmer met with the lawyers again last week in New York in what was reportedly one of the final steps of the process.
The frozen deal would send Leonard, who averaged 27.9 points in 65 games last season and made All-NBA Second Team, to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first round picks, two second rounders, and a 2027 pick swap.
Ingram averaged 21.5 points and made his first All-Star team for a Raptors club that went 46-36, while the Clippers went 42-40 and lost a play-in game to Golden State.
Both rosters are stuck until the league acts, something covered in this look at what the delay means for Los Angeles.
What a Realistic Punishment Looks Like
The closest comparison is the Joe Smith case from 2000, when the league stripped Minnesota of five first round picks, fined the franchise $3.5 million, and suspended owner Glen Taylor and general manager Kevin McHale.
Something in that range feels like the realistic outcome here.
The Clippers would lose draft capital and a lot of money,
Ballmer and the front office could face discipline, and Leonard himself could be suspended for a stretch of games without the trade falling apart.
Why a Voided Contract Is a Long Shot
The nuclear option would be voiding Leonard's contract, and reporters in Toronto have noted the Raptors view that as the only outcome that actually kills the deal, while also calling it unlikely.
Smith's contract was voided because the league had signed secret agreements as hard proof, while Leonard has denied any wrongdoing, and the NBA would need clear evidence he knew the Aspiration money was a cap workaround.
Punishing the team is much simpler than punishing the player, which is why this breakdown of where the Clippers stand still ends with the trade going through.
Whether the franchise can truly move on from the era examined in this piece on the championship window will depend on how hard the hammer falls.
